Former Masters and Open Championship winner Zach Johnson also teams with Jonathan Byrd

NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 5, 2018)—Two South African players who have both won major titles are teaming up to play the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Charl Schwartzel, who won the Masters in 2011, and Louis Oosthuizen, who won The Open Championship in 2010, will play together in the 2018 Zurich Classic. They will be joined by Zach Johnson, whose 12 PGA TOUR victories include the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship. Johnson will team with Jonathan Byrd.

“Charl has never played in our tournament, and Louis played his first time here last season,” said Worthy. “Adding Zach Johnson and Jonathan Byrd gives us two more impressive teams with four major titles among them,” added Worthy.

Oosthuizen’s lone PGA TOUR victory was a big one—the 2010 Open Championship. He also claimed second place finishes in the 2012 Masters, which he lost in a playoff against Bubba Watson; the 2015 Open Championship, when he was in a three-person playoff eventually won by Zach Johnson; and the 2015 U.S. Open, which he missed winning by one stroke after an opening round of 77. He has also posted 12 international victories.

His best finish this season was a tie for ninth in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, when he advanced out of group play with a one-hole sudden-death playoff against Jason Dufner.

He and Branden Grace tied for 24th in the 2017 Zurich Classic, the first time either one played the tournament.

Currently ranked 32nd in the world, he has played in the last three Presidents Cups and in the 2011 World Cup.

Schwartzel, who has never played the Zurich Classic, has placed in the top 25 a total of 70 times in his PGA TOUR career since 2009. In addition to the 2011 Masters title, he won the 2016 Valspar Championship. He has won another 13 tournaments internationally.

His best finish this season was a tie for 28th in the CJ Cup Nine Bridges tournament.

Schwartzel has played on the last four Presidents Cup teams and the 2011 World Cup team with Oosthuizen.

Johnson has two majors among his 12 PGA TOUR victories to go with 10 seconds, 10 thirds and 77 top 10 finishes. He won the Masters in 2007 and The Open Championship in 2015.

He ranks 12th in all-time winnings with more than $43 million in his career. His best finish this season was a tie for eighth in the RSM Classic. He last played the Zurich Classic in 2008.

He has played on five Ryder Cup teams, four Presidents Cup squads and one World Cup.

Byrd has won five times on the PGA TOUR, including the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open which he won with a historic walk-off hole-in-one in the playoff.

He won the Web.com Championship to reclaim his TOUR card this season. His best finish so far this year was a tie for 25th at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His top finish at the Zurich Classic was a tie for 12th in 2008.

He was a three-time All-American at Clemson and played on the 1999 Walker Cup team that included Matt Kuchar.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

Already committed to the tournament are Justin Thomas, ranked second in the world; Jon Rahm, ranked third; Sergio Garcia, the reigning Masters champion; Bubba Watson, who has won twice this season, playing with Matt Kuchar; Ian Poulter, who won this week to qualify for the Masters; U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk; 2016 Olympic medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed, known for his intensity in team competition.

LSU’s Sam Burns, already a winner on the Web.com Tour, will team with veteran William McGirt

NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 3, 2018)—Jon Rahm, who rocketed to #3 in the world after his first full season on the PGA TOUR, has committed to play in his first Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Rahm will partner with Wesley Bryan, who also won a title in his first fulltime year on the TOUR.

In addition to the Rahm-Bryan team, Worthy also announced that Sam Burns, who just claimed his first Web.com contest this week, will team with PGA TOUR veteran William McGirt, who won the Memorial Tournament in 2016.

“Jon has quickly established himself as a fan favorite for his passion on the course and the quality of his game,” said Worthy. “We welcome him to his first Zurich Classic and welcome back Wesley to his second,” Worthy added.

Rahm won his first title last year at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open and claimed another victory this season at the 2018 Career Builder Challenge to vault him to third in the world golf rankings.

In the last 18 months, he has recorded two wins on the PGA TOUR and two more on the European Tour, accelerating his rise in the world rankings from 45th to third. He recorded four top-10 finishes in the FedExCup playoff tournaments that concluded last season.

In his first full season on the TOUR, he recorded 11 top-10 finishes, behind only Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. He also won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award on the European Tour.

Competing for Arizona State, he became the first player to twice win the Ben Hogan Award, given to the best collegiate golfer. He also won the Jack Nicklaus Award, given to the top Division I collegiate golfer and played on the 2014 World Cup team and the 2015 Palmer Cup squad.

During his collegiate career, he recorded 11 victories, second only to former Sun Devil Phil Mickelson. He won the 2016 individual Pac-12 title and was a three-time All-American. He also won the 2015 Mark McCormack Medal and the 2014 World Amateur Championship, breaking a record held by Jack Nicklaus. Overseas in his native Spain, he won the Spanish Amateur Championship back-to-back in 2014-15.

Bryan started his first full season on TOUR fast as well, winning the RBC Heritage the week before he made his debut at the Zurich Classic last season, when he finished tied for 29th teaming with Ryan Blaum.

In the weeks leading up to his first victory last year, he claimed two fourths and a tie for seventh in the space of a month.

He comes from a golfing family. His older brother George IV was a three-time All-American at the University of South Carolina and his sister played for the College of Charleston. His father, George, played in the 1999 PGA Championship and now runs the George Bryan Golf Academy.

While on the Web.com Tour, Bryan won three titles, including the 2016 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER.

Burns, who starred at LSU, took an eighth at the Honda Classic this year, his fourth start on the PGA TOUR. Earlier, in his third start as a professional, he finished second at the Web.com Club Colombia Championship behind Ben Taylor, who also played for LSU.

The Shreveport native broke through this week by winning the Savannah Golf Championship after birdies on the last three holes and now ranks fourth on the Web.com money list. The top 25 players on the money list at the end of the season earn their cards on the PGA TOUR for the next season. Burns has made the cut in five of his six PGA TOUR starts this season.

McGirt is a TOUR veteran with 212 starts in his career going back to 2011. His best finishes this season have been a tie for eighth in the RSM Classic and a tie for 10th in the Shriners Hospital for Children Open.

He has made the FedExCup playoffs for the last seven seasons.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

Already committed to the tournament are Justin Thomas, ranked second in the world; Sergio Garcia, the reigning Masters champion; Bubba Watson, who has won twice this season, playing with Matt Kuchar; Ian Poulter, who won this week to qualify for the Masters; U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk; 2016 Olympic medalists Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed, known for his intensity in team competition.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 29, 2018)—European Ryder Cup stalwarts Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, whose combined record is 20-9-4, have teamed together to play in the 2018 Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell are two of the most successful Europeans in recent Ryder Cup history,” said Worthy. “Their impressive record of team play makes them a pair to watch in our tournament this year,” added Worthy.

“And we are always glad to have Billy Horschel in our field, this year playing with Scott Piercy,” said Worthy. “Billy won the Zurich Classic for his first PGA TOUR title in 2013, so this is a special tournament for him, and he is always one of our most popular players in New Orleans,” Worthy added.

In five Ryder Cup competitions, Poulter is undefeated in singles and has compiled a 12-4-2 record overall. In 2012, he went 4-0 in leading the European team to its second consecutive victory. He served as vice-captain of the 2016 European team.

In their only Ryder Cup match together, Poulter and McDowell defeated Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry in fourballs 1-up in the 2008 matches at Valhalla.

Poulter has won twice on the PGA TOUR—both World Golf Championship titles. He also has claimed 13 international victories, including the 2011 Volvo World Match Play Championship.

His best finish this season on the PGA TOUR was a fifth in the WCG—Dell Technologies Match Play just completed March 25.

In addition to his five Ryder Cup appearances, he has also played on five World Cup teams, three Seve Trophy squads and competed in the 2016 Eurasia Cup.

Playing with Geoff Ogilvy, he finished tied for 32nd in last year’s inaugural team format Zurich Classic. His best individual finish at the Zurich Classic was a tie for seventh in 2006.

McDowell has posted a 8-5-2 record in his four Ryder Cup appearances. He has also played in five World Cups and two Seve Trophy competitions. He played a prominent role in Great Britain and Ireland’s retention of the Walker Cup in 2001, even though he played collegiately at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he won the 2002 Fred Haskins Award, given annually to the top collegiate golfer in the U.S.

He has three PGA TOUR titles in his career, including the 2010 U.S. Open, when he became the first European to win the championship since Tony Jacklin in 1970. He has also won eight international victories, including the 2013 Volvo World March Play Championship.

His best finish in the Zurich Classic came in 2006, when he tied for 15th.

Horschel won the 2013 Zurich Classic with a 20-under 268, topping the previous-best 72-hole score at TPC Louisiana by a stroke. The following season, he fired off one of the best closing stretches in PGA TOUR history and won the 2014 FedExCup on the strength of a second in the Deutsche Bank Championship and consecutive victories in the BMW Championship and the season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. He became the youngest FedExCup winner in history at age 27.

His best finish this season was a tie for 11th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He qualified for that tournament by winning his fourth PGA TOUR title last season, the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson.

Horschel was a three-time first-team All-American at University of Florida in 2006-07 and 2009 and a second-team selection in 2008. He earned a spot on the victorious 2007 U.S. Walker Cup team that included future PGA TOUR stars Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk, Colt Knost, Jamie Lovemark, Webb Simpson and Kyle Stanley.

Piercy has won three times on the PGA TOUR. A native and resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, his first win came at the 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open.

His best result this season was a tie for sixth at the Career Builder Challenge. His best finish in the Zurich Classic was a tie for 13th in 2012.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 27, 2018)—Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk and David Duval—both winners of major titles—have teamed to play in the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“We are honored and excited to have Jim Furyk join our field this year,” said Worthy. “Our format ties to the big international team matches, and having the current Ryder Cup captain playing here indicates how important our new format is becoming to prep for those events,” added Worthy.

“We are also pleased to welcome back David Duval, former world #1 who played in our tournament for many years,” said Worthy. “David has always been very popular in New Orleans and he’s indicated this has always been one of his favorite tournament stops,” Worthy said.

Furyk has won 17 times on the PGA TOUR, including the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2010 TOUR Championship. He currently ranks fourth in all-time earnings, with nearly $68 million since he joined the TOUR in 1994.

He and Duval have played as a team before, when they won the Fred Meyer Challenge in 1998.

He has played a limited schedule this season but took a seventh in the Valspar Championship. He last played the Zurich Classic in 1996, when he finished tied for 27th.

Furyk has been a mainstay for years on American national teams, with seven appearances in the Presidents Cup and nine in the Ryder Cup. His nine Ryder Cup competitions are second all-time among American players.

Until last season, Furyk qualified for every FedExCup playoff series since the competition began.

Duval, now primarily a broadcaster on the Golf Channel, claimed 13 PGA TOUR victories, including The Open Championship in 2001 and the TOUR Championship in 1997. He was ranked number one in the world for 15 weeks in 1999.

His father Bob played on the Champions Tour, and both father and son won their respective tournaments on the same day in 1999.

Duval’s last appearance in the Zurich Classic came in 2014, when he finished a season-best 25th.

He is also a veteran of team play, with four Ryder Cups, three Presidents Cups, two World Cups, two World Amateur Team Championships and one Walker Cup.

At Georgia Tech, Duval was named 1993 Collegiate Player of the Year. He is one of only four collegiate players to earn Division I first team All-American status four times. He also won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1989.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

Tony Finau and Daniel Summerhays also pair up to repeat in the 2018 event

NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 22, 2018)—Two Patricks—Reed and Cantlay—are returning as a team to the 2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans after finishing 14th last year, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Tony Finau and Daniel Summerhays will also renew their pairing from last year’s tournament, the first played under the new team format, announced Worthy.

“Patrick Reed is known for his remarkable record and intensity in team golf, and has been a US Ryder Cup hero,” said Worthy. “He and his partner Patrick Cantlay successfully put their team play experience to good use in last year’s Zurich Classic and they should be a very tough team,” Worthy added.

Reed is currently ranked 23rd in the world. In the 2016 Ryder Cup, he went head-to-head with Rory McIlroy in one of the most thrilling matches in Ryder Cup history, eventually making birdie on 18 for a 1-up victory. Reed’s overall record in his two Ryder Cup events is 6-1-2. He and Jordan Spieth were the only Americans to play all five matches in 2016 at Hazeltine.

Reed won two Louisiana high school state championships at University High of Baton Rouge, then two NCAA championships at Augusta State when he went 6-0 in match play in his two years.

Reed has won five times on the PGA TOUR, joining Spieth (21) and Rory McIlroy (23) as youngest winners with five TOUR titles in the last 10 years. His best finishes this season have been a tie for second at the Valspar Championship and a tie for seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

In his first year on the PGA TOUR, as a Monday qualifier he finished 24th in the 2011 Zurich Classic.

Cantlay, who missed all of 2016 due to injury, earned his PGA TOUR card in 2017 with a second place in the Valspar Championship and picked up his first victory on the PGA TOUR at the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In addition to his maiden win, he also rang up a tie for fourth in this season’s Genesis Open, where he held the 18-and 36-hole lead. He currently ranks 13th in FedExCup points and 34th in the world.

He posted a storied amateur career highlighted by being named the winner of the Fred Haskins Award in 2011 as the nation’s top collegiate player as well as the Jack Nicklaus Award as the Division I Player of the Year—as a freshman. He was also that year named an All-American at UCLA plus PAC-10 Golfer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

He played on the 2011 Walker Cup team, where he went 2-1-1. Later that year he posted a round of 10-under-par 60 in the Traveler’s Championship, becoming the first amateur in the history of the PGA TOUR to score 60 or better.

Finau and Summerhays are both natives and residents of Utah and return as a team to the 2018 Zurich Classic.

Finau is ranked 33rd in the world on the strength of a second place in the Safeway and Genesis Opens and a tie for sixth in the Farmers Insurance Open this season.

He has one PGA TOUR victory on his record, the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. He turned professional right out of high school at 17, and since he joined the PGA TOUR fulltime in 2015 has never earned less than $1.8 million in any season. Last year he recorded eight top 10 finishes to hit his personal best earnings of $2.8 million.

Summerhays comes from a golf family. His older brother Boyd is a past PGA TOUR member, his uncle Bruce Summerhays plays on the Champions Tour and his cousin Carrie Roberts is a former LPGA player who is now the head women’s golf coach at BYU.

His best finish at the Zurich Classic was a tie for 21st in 2014.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

All the 2016 Olympic golf medals will now be represented in the 2018 Zurich Classic.

Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and silver medalist Henrik Stenson have teamed up again for the 2018 Zurich Classic and will be competing against bronze medalist Matt Kuchar and his partner Bubba Watson, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“Justin has been a fan favorite for years at the Zurich Classic and is a former champion,” said Worthy. “He and Henrik were among the first teams to commit to our new team format last year, which helped launch our field to be one of the strongest in our tournament’s history,” added Worthy.

The Rose/Stenson team has a prestigious record of accomplishment beyond their Olympic success two years ago. Rose won the Zurich Classic in 2015 and the U.S. Open in 2013. Stenson won the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2016 just prior to his success at the Summer Olympics that year.

Rose is currently ranked fifth in the world, and Stenson is ranked 14th. Both have represented Europe in the Ryder Cup four times.

Rose has won eight times on the PGA TOUR and has claimed another 11 international victories. His titles include two World Golf Championships, including this year’s WGC-HSBC Champions, when he came back from eight shots behind on the final day to win with a closing round of 67.

Other top finishes this season include a third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a fifth in the Valspar Championship and a tie for eighth in the Farmers Insurance Open. In fact, Rose has finished in the top 10 in four of the five tournaments he has played this season to rank third in FedExCup points to date.

He ranks 12th in all-time winnings on the PGA TOUR with more than $43 million.

In addition to qualifying for the Ryder Cup four times, he has also made three World Cup teams, two Seve Cup squads and at age 17 played in the Walker Cup, becoming the youngest player in that event’s history.

He won the Silver Medal as leading amateur in the 1998 Open Championship and turned professional the next day.

Stenson has won six times on the PGA TOUR, including a World Golf Championship title, The Players Championship and the 2013 TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola to win the FedExCup that season. He has also claimed 13 international wins.

This year he tied for second in the WGC-HSBC Champions that Justin Rose won and earned a fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

In addition to playing on four Ryder Cup teams, he also made four World Cup teams and three Royal Trophy squads.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 13, 2018)— Justin Thomas, 2017 PGA TOUR Player of the Year and currently ranked second in the world, will team again with fellow University of Alabama alum Bud Cauley to play the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“We welcome Justin and Bud back to our tournament after their successful performance last year and excellent starts to the current season,” said Worthy. “Daniel Berger and Gary Woodland will also be a formidable team, as both are highly ranked and are explosive players,” Worthy added.

Thomas is off to a torrid start this season after posting a historic year in 2016-17, when he won five tournaments, including the PGA Championship. So far this season, he has already won twice and finished second in a playoff for the WGC-Mexico Championship after he holed a 119-yard pitch on the 18th hole Sunday to take the lead. He sat 11 strokes behind the lead on Friday, then went 16-under on the weekend to match the 36-hole record for the tournament.

He finished last season ranked first in both FedExCup points and money winnings, and currently holds the same position at the top of both lists this season.

His second place at the WGC-Mexico Championship moved him up to second in the world. In the eight tournaments he has entered this season, he has placed in the top 25 in every one.

During the Sony Open in 2017, he became the youngest player in TOUR history to break 60, when he carded a 59 in the first round on his way to a runaway seven-stroke victory.

A native of Louisville, KY, he led the University of Alabama to the NCAA championship in 2013, his sophomore year. He was named a first-team All-American in 2012, when he won the Phil Mickelson Award as the top collegiate freshman to go with the 2012 Haskins Award and 2012 Nicklaus Award, presented annually to the top college player.

As an amateur, he played on the 2013 Walker Cup and the 2012 World Amateur Team Championship. He made the 2017 Presidents Cup team after his third year on the PGA TOUR.

Thomas, who will turn 25 during the Zurich Classic, finished tied for fifth with teammate Cauley in last year’s tournament, the first time the team format had been played in a regular season PGA TOUR event since 1981.

Cauley also played for the University of Alabama and earned his PGA TOUR card off of the non-member money list in just eight starts. Only six other players earned their PGA TOUR card straight from college without having to go to the Qualifying School, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

His best finishes this season have been a tie for seventh in the Safeway Open and a tie for eighth in The RSM Classic. Prior to last year’s tie for fifth, his previous best score in the Zurich Classic tournament came in 2014, when he placed 11th.

Thomas and Cauley boasted undefeated records in Walker Cup team play as amateurs. Thomas went 2-0-1 on the 2013 team, and Cauley posted a record of 3-0-1 in the 2009 match, both won by the U.S.

Daniel Berger and Gary Woodland have formed a new team for the 2018 Zurich Classic after playing last year with different partners.

Berger, ranked 32nd in the world, has two PGA TOUR wins—both at the FedEx St. Jude Classic—in his short career after earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2015.

His best finishes this season include a tie for 11th in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Waste Management Phoenix Open and a tie for 14th in the Sony Open and the WGC-Mexico Championship. He also earned a tie for 24th in the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament.

He made the collegiate Palmer Cup team in 2013, when he attended Florida State. In his first appearance on the Presidents Cup team in 2017, he posted a 2-1 record and became the youngest player and first rookie to clinch the winning point for the victorious U.S. squad.

Woodland has won three times on the PGA TOUR, including this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open in a playoff with Chez Reavie. He also finished tied for seventh in this season’s Sony Open.

He won the 2011 OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup teamed with Matt Kuchar, who will play the 2018 Zurich Classic with Bubba Watson.

Woodland’s best finish in the Zurich Classic was a tie for 20th in 2016.

He is currently ranked 28thh in the world and finished 12th in FedExCup points last season.

When he played for University of Kansas, he won four collegiate tournaments, including the 2007 Louisiana Classic.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 6, 2018)—Defending Masters champion Sergio Garcia, ranked 11th in the world, has committed to team with Rafael Cabrera Bello, ranked 21st in the world, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

Cabrera Bello has never played the Zurich Classic, and Garcia last played here in 2010.

“We are delighted to welcome Sergio back to our tournament,” said Worthy. “His play has electrified fans around the world for nearly two decades,” added Worthy. “We are equally excited to welcome Rafa Cabrera Bello to his debut in New Orleans at the Zurich Classic,” said Worthy. “He is playing only his second full year on the PGA TOUR, successfully partnered with Sergio Garcia in the 2016 Ryder Cup and just tied for third in the WGC Mexico Championship.”

Garcia has won 10 times on the PGA TOUR and 21 times internationally, including 12 European Tour titles. He broke through with his first major title at the 2017 Masters when he birdied the first playoff hole to beat Justin Rose, the 2015 Zurich Classic winner.

He has won more than $47 million on the PGA TOUR, ranking seventh all time.

He has played on eight Ryder Cup European teams and twice each on Seve Trophy and Dunhill Cup teams. He also represented Spain in the 2016 Olympics, when Rose won the gold medal.

He set a record as the youngest player to made the cut on the European Tour at age 14, and won his first tournament, the Catalonian Open, at 17. In 1999 at age 19, he was named the European Tour’s Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

Cabrera Bello has won three times on the European Tour. He was also a prodigy, as he began playing golf at 6 years old and won the Spanish National Championship every year from age 7 to age 18. Ironically, he made his European Tour debut in 2002 at Open de Espana and was within striking distance of Sergio Garcia before finishing tied for fourth, six strokes behind Garcia.

This season, his best finishes have been a tie for third in the WGC-Mexico Championship, fifth in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and a tie for 10th in the CIMB Classic.

With Garcia, he represented Spain in the 2016 Olympics. He and Garcia went 1-0-1 playing as a team in the 2016 European Ryder Cup. He also made the World Cup in 2013 and 2016.

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. This year’s 72-hole stroke team play format will feature Four-Ball (best ball) during the first and third rounds and Foursomes (alternate shot) during the second and fourth rounds. The starting field will consist of 80 teams. Following the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 35 teams and ties. In case of a tie after 72 holes, there will be a sudden-death playoff using the Four-Ball format.